Be Inspired, Be Touched: Gems on the Net

By Mary Jaksch

Want to know what really matters?
To be reminded of what really matters to you, read Jonathan Fields’ post about What Really Matters. Here is an excerpt:

I care about the lush aroma of razor-thin sliced garlic, aged olive-oil and vidalia onions wafting through the kitchen on a lazy Sunday, emboldened by notch-too-loud Led Zeppelin and a glass of red wine that dances me from counter to counter as I create a dinner feast for my wife and little girl.

How’s that for evocative writing?

The next two posts I’d like to introduce to you are both written from a father’s perspective. The first one is by Russ Hamel of Love That Feeling Blog.  Russ is in his second or third flush of youth, and has suddenly become Stepdad of an cute six-year old girl, called Ambrosia. Read If my Daddy Goes.., the touching story of a child’s simple wisdom that can inspire us all. You’ll love that feeling!

The next post made me reach for the tissues. Charley Forness is the father of tiny, premature triplets. (The image is of Baby Bella holding Dad’s finger )

He wrote a Great Expectations Manifesto – 21 Guidelines for my Children on Living an Authentic Life
Here is no. 17 of the Manifesto:

I expect you to not be afraid to make mistakes – You won’t learn everything from study alone. You must experience. Know that, at times you will fail, sometimes spectacularly, in many of the things you do. The important thing is to try, even if you fail, and you will at least have learned something that can help guide your next steps.

Read the whole manifesto to remind yourself of what is important in life – and what isn’t. By the way, I’m in touch with Charley. He told me that his babies still face some medical challenges. Please spare a kind thought for Charley and his family.

After you’ve dried your tears, here’s something for a good laugh. The title says it all:

How to Drive 1,802 Kilometers with a Cat in Tow (or How to Pull Kitty From a Thorn Bush)

It’s by Karol Gajda who writes the exuberant blog Ridiculously Extraordinary.com . Karol says in his conclusion to this post: “Don’t be stupid and let your cat get free in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere.” Yep, I’ll make a note of that, Karol!

Now for something a bit more serious. Do you want to be more productive? If so, do you sometimes multitask? I do. But does it really work? Here is a post by entrepreneur Jeffrey Tang who has an interesting take on why single-tasking is better: Why I’m Cutting Back on Multi-Tasking (And You Should Do Too)

Last but not least of this week’s selection of gems is an outstanding TED talk by  Coach John Wooden, born in 1910.  In this inspiring talk, he redefines success and urges us all to pursue the best in ourselves. Watch it below:

Which of these is your favourite gem?